7 things to be mighty excited about in 2017

There are, of course, very many things to look forward to every New Year. Below we list the seven at the very top of our agenda in 2017. What’s in yours?

Looking good: National Museum of Natural History

1. Silverlens Galleries reopens. After a three-month shut down, Silverlens Galleries is finally reopening at Lapanday Center, just down the road from YMC Building, its former home on Pasong Tamo Extension in Makati. The gallery will now occupy a massive 1,200 square meter space and take on a two-floor setup. It will open on January 7, 2017 with two shows: Echo, a solo exhibit by Gregory Halili, and Translacion, a group show by the 22 artists represented by Silverlens. Lapanday Center, 2263 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati. +639175874011. Tue-Sat 9am-6pm.

2. Sa Wakas gets a rerun. Yes! The critically-acclaimed musical based on Sugarfree songs will have its rerun starting Jan 12 all the way to Feb 5. The musical originally ran in 2013—two years after Sugarfree disbanded—to much applause. But of course: with rearranged Sugarfree’s songs, the play tells the a heartbreaking love story that starts at the very end, when the couple breaks up and works its way back to the start, when everything was good and new and wonderful. Power Mac Center Spotlight, Circuit Lane, Circuit Makati. Starts Jan 12, 8pm. Saturday and Sunday get a matinee at 3pm. Tickets start at P700. More details here.

3. Beauty and the Beast is finally showing. Mark the date: March 17. That’s when the live action version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, will screen. This early, viewers are nibbling on every crumb Disney has left: short previews, full version of trailers, and most recently, a leaked recording of Emma dearest singing “Something There.” We are so excited!

4. Coldplay plays its first Manila gig. It cost an arm and a leg but we couldn’t care less. We’re super stoked for Coldplay’s first Manila gig on April 4. We are one of the six stops for Coldplay’s Asian leg that also includes Singapore, Taiwan, Seoul, Bangkok, and Tokyo. See you there.

5. The opening National Museum of Natural History. Sometime mid-year—in June, we hope!—the National Museum of Natural History will open at the old Department of Tourism building in Rizal Park in the city of Manila. The Dominic Galicia Architects, which is spearheading the structure alongside interior designer Tina Periquet, posted a few photos on Facebook Tuesday and it’s looking very, very impressive. The museum will house preserved animals, fungi, and plants.

6. Wicked the Musical also gets a rerun. It’s always a good thing when something as strong and strongly in-demand as Wicked returns to Manila. The musical, which had its first Manila run in 2014 returns on Feb 2 straight from a multirecord-breaking tour of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The original production will fly be doing shows at The Theatre in Solaire all the way to March 5.

7. Explosions in the Sky and The Temper Trap headlining Wanderland Arts and Music Festival. Concert season has never looked as good as 2017. It opens in March with the fifth edition of Wanderland. Headlining the much-awaited event are Explosions in the Sky, Temper Trap, and the Ting Tings.